Nephilim
by staxmccune
Summary: Ben Silas is a Nephilim, the ultimate bastard child of an angel and a reincarnated devil, and he is trying to live a normal life. Enrolling in one of the best schools in Japan was supposed to make life better, but when he finds himself in the middle of a brewing conflict between supernatural factions, he'll have to adapt or die in this kill or be killed world. It never gets easier.
1. Chapter 1

AN

 **Holy Hell, what am I doing? I've been lurking around the site for the longest time and this is only the first time I've ever actually decided to publish something. I must be outta my mind over here. Anyway, welcome to the firstborn of what I hope will be many chapters of a story that's been floating around in my mind for forever: Nephilim.**

 **But before you get into the story, I wanna say a couple thing she while I have your attention.**

 **ive been writing privately for a little while now, but this Ian officially the first thing I've put up, and as such, I'm both nervous and excited to see what you guy says thing. So naturally I really want to know both what you like and dislike about everything so far. If it behooves you to leave a review at the end of all this, then do so. Really kick my ass, as like anybody else who posts on here, I aim to please. I'm also in the market for a couple of betas, so if you wanna Ben omen of the first people to gimme a hand, I'd appreciate it.**

 **On with the tale!**

Chapter 1

Blasphemy. That was the word for it. The only word that came to his mind when he looked at himself in the mirror. Fresh out of the shower, clean as he could be, and that feeling of dirtiness still permeated through. The teenage boy wiped the the mirror clean, glancing at his reflection. The soap-scum stained sink supporting his weight as he leaned over it.

"Another day," he said with a wry smile and a chuckle, "Another damnation."

The boy left the bathroom, nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist to shield himself from the elements. He strode across the small apartment to the closet by the window that overlooked the bed placed in the corner. It was unmade, smelled of mildew and sweat, and even had a moist feel to it. Not soaked, but as if all the humidity in the air was sucked in by the sheets.

His stomach growled as he retrieved the uniform from the plastic bag it had been delivered to him in. The name "Silas Benjamin" scribbled in messy kanji on a small sticker plastered on the front. _That's gonna take some getting used to,_ the teen thought as he noted both the phonetic spelling, and the reversed names. Languages came to him easy, but it was still going to be a change from the boarding schools back in the states.

The uniform itself wasn't anything he hadn't seen before. A black blazer, vertically lined white dress shirt underneath, and black pants. The black ribbon that went around his neck was the only real difference. He found it odd that the school would choose something more akin to a bolo tie than actual neck-wear. Were bow-ties that far out of the budget? Either way, a sloppy knot later, and it didn't matter, even if the collar was a little tight around the neck. He doubted anyone would notice, especially on a first year. Girls would be looking at the other guys, and the guys wouldn't even notice another among their small ranks.

Kuoh Academy, was what he believed this new school was called. A former all girls school that just went co-ed recently. Also supposedly one of the best schools in Japan, and in the top 100 in the world. Now that it was co-ed that was sure to falter a bit- but still, schooling was schooling. The difference in culture was interesting if nothing else. But the culture aspect was all around, going on even right outside the small room he called an apartment.

He gazed out the window, taking in the sight of the land of the rising sun. A little ritual he had become quite fond of over in the past three months. He used his hand as a visor a the morning light hit his eyes for the first time. There wasn't much on the street below, a few market stalls where bootlegs of bootlegs were being sold. That and the fried foods that were definitely not up to code. The ungodly smell permeated the thin walls along with the hustle and bustle of the early morning.

He wasn't hungry anymore.

Ben pulled his phone out of his pocket, both checking the time and pulling up the directions to the school from where he was. He really should have done a walk or two around to the place when he had the chance, but c'est la vie, what were you gonna do? Just an interesting element or two more a he hopped that he wouldn't get lost going there. Or eat through a chunk of his funky phone's battery along the way.

The uncomfortable brown loafers wrapped around his feet, and bag strung over his shoulder, Ben opened the door. He tenderly stepped down the old stairs, and into the crowded room below.

The sounds of people having their morning meals assaulted his ears, the clattering of chopsticks against the bowls filled with Udon of every variety. Slurping and sloshing as the patrons devoured the food in front of them. The owners shouting at each other to hurry up despite both being completely up on their orders.

Ben tried his best not to make eye contact with the wife as he walked past the counter. The second he passed by what could only be described as the only open seat in the whole restaurant, the older woman deftly flicked a chopstick through the air. The small eating instrument becoming a deadly weapon; it struck the back of the boy's head with a painful smack.

"Agh!" He yelled as he whipped around to face her, "The hell, Grams?!"

She was of shorter stature, wrinkles littering her delicate yet stern face. Her jade eyes flared with a youthful passion of someone half her age. She pointed an accusatory finger at the boy, and to the seat at the counter, a silent order that he knew quite well. She wiped her hands on the black apron laid over her white smock, taking a stressed breath. She turned around and retrieved the wooden bowl from the edge of the stove behind her.

"Hell is what you'll get if you don't eat!" she yelled as she continued to take orders on the small notebook she had pulled from the apron pocket.

Despite the expertly crafted bowl of Egg Udon sitting in front of him, Ben only offered a stare that alternated between her and the food. He smiled sardonically and raised an eyebrow, "Food with no drink? What, do we live in the stone age?" a snicker escaped his lips. His merrymaking killed a second later as the second of the two chopsticks hit his forehead.

"You think you're so cute," the old lady said as she diced up one vegetable or another. Maybe some kind of spice. She pointed the knife at Ben, in the midst of chewing, "Someday, someone's going to punch you right in that smart mouth of yours."

"Smart mouth for a smart mind," he said as he nursed the bump on his forehead. Eating to appease the woman, preferring a sick feeling to her frustration, "I'm adorable and you know it."

It was her turn to snicker, "Like a puppy. But only when it's being quiet," she teased, a maternal look falling on her features for a but a moment before she began making food once more.

Despite how close he felt to the old couple that had sheltered him for the last few months, he still didn't know either of their names. He had been calling them Grams and Gramps, but he was fairly sure that those were both not their names, and that he wasn't related to them. Granted he didn't know much about his family tree, but Japanese definitely wasn't in his blood anywhere.

He scarfed down what was left of the bowl, dropping the chopsticks in it and wiping his mouth on the napkin next to the bowl, "You really should say a prayer before eating, bad luck not to," Grams chided him as she retrieved the bowl in a flash, "Bad luck and the first day of school usually don't go well together.

Ben waved his hand dismissively, tossing the napkin down onto the counter, "I think I'll be fine, haven't needed to sing a hymn yet, and I don't plan on starting." He smiled at the older woman before standing up from the sat, only to have it filled immediately after, thankfully before she could retort. Ben pushed open the door and walked out onto the sidewalk.

He held up his phone in front of him, and looked at the path in front of him. Distance was a couple miles away, wouldn't be a problem, especially for someone of Ben's particular… skill set.

He ducked into an alleyway, peeking over his shoulder to make sure that he wasn't seen as he took the expressway to the school. He took in a deep breath, and in an instant a pair of feathered wings sprouted from his back. His clothes left undisturbed by the new appendages.

The wings were odd, off putting. They came out from just behind each of his shoulder blades, reaching a full wingspan of about 12 feet. The feathers were black, with a bruised blue color accents on each of them. They were set against a wing frame that would suit that of something with leather wings, like a bat. This was further reinforced by what would be thumb-like structures projected from the wrist of the wings. Altogether, they just looked… wrong. They were beautiful, yet at the same time, they inspired a sense of foreboding.

They were the only wings of a Nephilim, a child born as a result of an angel breeding with a human, in a union that would not be allowed in the eyes of God. Yet here Ben was, flying in the air on the very wings that should not be allowed to exist.

Blasphemy. That was the word for it.

The first day of school, well, the first official day anyway. There had been a lot of planning that went into today, something that Sona had spared no time in explaining to the young devil and the rest of her peerage. Yes, the life of Rias Gremory was certainly one of constant problems, in one form or another.

From the work that went into the early year paperwork for the Occult Research Club, to the recent activity within her own household, the last few weeks had been very stressful. And that's not even mentioning the talks of her being engaged to Raiser Phenex of all people.

The thought of spending the rest of eternity with him made her want to gag.

But be that as it may, she wasn't going to let it get in the way of her work here in the human world. A place she hadn't spent that much time in thus far, but had become fond of nonetheless. It was why she had put up with Sona Sitri's impromptu "State of their Union" meeting she had held between her peerage and Rias' own.

It was the same kind of thing they always had to deal with: the Fallen pushing their boundaries, stray devil activity, and the like. The only real thing of note was the recent talks of Catholic Church affiliates. Kuoh had certainly become something of a melting pot for political activity over the few years she had spent as a citizen. At least things were always interesting.

That wasn't to say that she wished that something different would happen from time to time. _Something exciting_ , the devil mused as she twirled her red locks between her fingers.

"Ara, ara, what's that face you're making?" her queen said as she entered the Research Club's office, carrying her bag, as well as Rias'.

She smiled at her best friends teasing, placing her hands out on the desk in front of her, and rising from her seat, "Just lost in my thoughts, Sona gave us a lot to think about."

Akeno nodded as she held the bag out to the redhead, "Yes, she did. While I appreciate her intent, I could not help but feel as if she was..."

"Talking down to us?" Rias finished as she accepted the bag, starting to walk. She threw her hand up, closing her eyes, speaking aloofly, "That's just how she sounds, you know that. It's almost like an impulse with her."

Akeno definitely agreed, while she had to admit she had a great respect for the Sitri's, and Sona as an extension of that, she preferred to be doing the talking down, rather than the other way around, "Do you think we have anything to be expressly worried about? The Fallen Angels in particular have been very bold lately."

Rias let a sigh escape her lips, "They have. I don't think we have anything to be worried about for the moment. I think they're playing a longer game right now. Not focused on the hit-and-run warfare they've adopted recently," she shook her head, looking down the path that led to the main school building, "I'm more worried about what they might have planned down the line-"

The brush shuffled up the path, the top of a tree, and then the bushes in front of it. The two devils stopped in their path, watching to see what emerged from the foliage. Not many people came out this way, and even fewer did it on the first day; and even fewer chose not to walk along the path.

"Note to self: work on that landing," they heard a male voice say from inside the flora before a boy emerged, the source of the voice, no doubt.

He was tall, easily coming in at about 6'0. Even through the school's uniform, it was clear that he was well built, muscular. It was more pronounced than your average male student that went to Kuoh. A mop of black hair sat atop his head, medium length, appearing to have been styled by the towel he used to dry it. He was staring down at his phone, tapping away on the screen, looking up the path.

But there was something else about him… something different. It was off putting, he gave off an aura that was familiar for all the wrong reasons. The pair shared a glance as they both shared the same confusion. The feeling of the power of light, yet the same magical ebb that they both gave off as devils both came off of this boy.

That was not something that happened, it was either one or the other. It almost felt like looking at the boy was an impossibility, something they shouldn't be doing. Like any second he might just vanish into the aether.

Rias' curiosity got the better of her, and she called out to the boy, "Excuse us?" she asked calmly in that same voice she used on all the boys to get them to do what she wanted. Akeno passed a mischievous glance towards her leader as she did so, realizing that it was time to go into their "Two Great Ladies" mode. She adopted her usual smile, cocking her head, "What are you doing?"

The boy froze in place, and in an instant, that aura he projected vanished. As if it had never been there at all, the feeling evaporated. Yet another thing that typically one should not be able to do with their aura. He turned around slowly, flashing his dark blue eyes towards the two girls, they widened as he seemed to recognize them.

"Who me? Just... taking a stroll, beautiful morning for it" he said as he looked at the two of them, feigning ignorance.

"I won't argue with you there," Rias responded, tilting her head, and using the insides of her arms to perk up her chest slightly, watching him try to steal a glance, "It's just that most first years prefer to try and find their classrooms right away. You don't want to be late on the first day, do you?"

He looked at them with knowing eyes, eyes that appraised the two of them in a way that seemed to scream that he knew what they were. As if he could smell their auras on them as they had been able to on him, "What can I say, I'm a renegade," he joked, throwing a glance back at the path behind him.

Rias looked over to Akeno, who stepped forward, up right next to her friend, "Could it be you wanted to try and join the Occult Research club? Many first years look to try," she smiled, much like an older sister would. _A false out,_ Rias recognized, he was floundering, and if he used that out, then there might actually be more going on.

He held up a finger, as if to say something right away, but he lowered it, before his eyes flashed with inspiration, "I don't put much stock in all that supernatural stuff," he said with a nervous shrug, "Sounds like a lot of..." he trailed off, not wanting to use the wrong word.

"Nonsense?" Akeno offered.

He turned his head, narrowing his eyes at her, "Yeah... something like that."

Rias nodded, "Yes, sadly we hear that a lot from non-believers. But believe me, there is much more going on just below the surface," she alluded, passing a soft gaze laced with daggers, "And we at the Occult Research Club are very good at seeing that."

The boy gulped, pulling on his poorly tied ribbon around his neck, "That right? Well," he scoffed in false bravado, "I'll be sure to tell Sasquatch that you said hello."

Akeno hummed, "Oh, Rias, I do think we're being rude."

"How so, Akeno? I'm enjoying the tone of this conversation," Rias said back, playing off of her friend as they had a million times before.

"We've taken time out of his day, and we haven't even introduced ourselves," the black-haired beauty said, mimicking the boy's mocking tone, "I'm Akeno Himejima, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The young Gremory smiled, "Oh yes. I'm Rias Gremory, I'm sorry for being so rude. What is your name?"

"Silas," he responded, as if he was being interrogated, "Ben Silas. Nice to meet you too."

"A foreigner?" Akeno said with a gasp, holding a hand to her mouth, "Well isn't that interesting?"

"Yeah... States, born and raised. Well, until now."

"It really is nice to see our school's community is so diverse and accepting," Rias commented. The fact that he was foreign was only going to make it easier to find more out about him. There weren't many Americans in Kuoh, be it the city or the academy, and that would only make this process quicker.

"Sure is," Ben said simply. A small silence fell over the trio, as the two devils shared a look in Ben's direction. The boy looked like he was ready to be attacked, as if at a moment's notice the situation could turn violent. It only served to further prove that he was abnormal, "I better be going, now- even a renegade has to go to class from time to time..." He turned to walk away, only managing to take one hastened step backwards before he was interrupted.

"Wait," Akeno commanded as she walked up right in front of the boy, his eyes becoming focused, yet at the same time fearful. She looked him dead in the eyes with her own purple orbs. Akeno looked down to the sloppily tied ribbon around his neck, and tenderly tied it correctly before flashing a warm smile laced with nitrogen, "Would be a shame if that ribbon distracted from such a handsome face,' she said.

The boy's face flushed pink, obviously not expecting the compliment. Akeno's ability to catch people off guard had not faltered in the slightest. Ben nodded nervously as he walked down the path towards the main school grounds with a hurried pace. Rias filled the empty space next to Akeno as they watched him go, "We should keep an eye on him," she said simply, more of an order than a statement, "He could be dangerous."

"I agree," Akeno replied, her features becoming more serious, "I've never felt anything quite like that aura he was projecting. And to be able to suppress it?"

"Not something that shows up every day," Rias added pensively. The redhead held a hand to her chin before glancing over to her queen, "He's a first year, right? We should try and have Koneko establish contact, she if she can get a better read on him. Her ability to detect aura is second to none."

"If there was anyone who could, it would be her," Akeno said as the two began to follow the same path as the oddity. A concerned silence blanketing the two.

Devils. Honest to god devils. The last thing that the half-breed wanted to run into here in his new surroundings. He had been able to sense the occasional hell agent here and there, but that wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Operatives like that were all over the world.

Those two weren't just agents, and you didn't need to be an expert to tell. They were giving off some serious power, and that was only passively. Ben surmised that that had to mean that they were upper class as far as their society went. The specifics of where they lied was of little concern in face of the sheer fact that they were.

And they knew something was wrong. They had sensed his heavenly hellish aura. Ben knew that had he been a second quicker, he might have been able to conceal it entirely before they had a chance to feel it.

The act of concealing one's aura was a tedious one for the average denizen of the supernatural world. It was something that one didn't need to worry about about because for the most part. The only other people who could feel the difference were a part of your world. It only mattered when you were immensely powerful, like one of the biblical figures. The act of unleashing an unrestrained aura like that would damage things or people around you.

Ben had found a workaround to this technique however, in the form of the duality of his soul. All he had to do was channel both powers at the same time, and the feelings created a sort of "neutral state". He was thankful that his father had bothered to share this information with him, despite how little he actually got to see him.

He'd been stupid, careless. Two things that he couldn't afford to be when faced with the possibility of the supernatural picking him out of a crowd. He was playing with veritable fire, and he had been burned because of it. They were onto him, and if there was one thing he knew about devils, is that there was never just one or two. They were like wolves.

They hunt in packs.

He doubted that they would make a move soon, but while they knew something was off; he also doubted that they had put two and two together. Based on his own research into the subject, the last time there had been Nephilim around was back when Babel was still standing. And even then they weren't the kind that he was. They wouldn't have the breadth of experience to be able to put that problem together.

But that didn't mean they wouldn't soon. Suddenly his school life had become a precarious game of poker. As long as he kept up appearances, and played it safe, he might be able to play everything off as nothing. Be able to say that he was just nervous in the face of the most beautiful girls in the school catching him off guard.

Ben scratched his head stressfully as he found his way to his classroom: 1-A. Normal as far as classrooms went. The run of the mill desks lined up in rows all facing a podium in front of a blackboard, with a teacher's desk off to the side. Student's loitered about in the classroom, unofficially claiming their desks as they chatted with their friends. Mostly girls, which was to be expected.

He settled himself into a seat closest to the door at the back of the room, deciding that if he was going to be stuck in this monkey suit for the foreseeable future, he didn't need the sun beating down on him as well. Pulling off his jacket, he slung it over the back of the seat, and hung his bag off of the hook. The boy crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair, and pushed a breath through his nose. Class would be starting soon, he'd be able to relax, at least for the next couple hours. Do some thinking, maybe put some more meat on his bare bone strategy of "fake it till you make it".

The door at the front of the room slid open, drawing the attention of the Nephilim outwards. He glanced over to the doorway, where he watched a small girl walk in. She had a short bob of pure white hair with a small cat hairpiece set in it. She was much shorter than him, almost two feet shorter. Her uniform was perfectly fitting for her petite frame as well as the small… assets she had.

While Ben remained unimpressed, the other students were not so judgmental. In fact, they did a little more than just notice she walked in.

"Dude, is that who you were telling me about?" One guy whispered in what was more of a hushed yell to his friend, whose jaw was practically on the floor.

"Ah! It's Koneko! She's so cute!" One of the girls squealed to the affirmation of her friends, who joined in on the noise.

She was famous, apparently. Ben admitted that she was cute, but he doubted that it warranted that kind of reaction, there were plenty of attractive girls around the school. He hadn't paid them much mind as he had been lost in his thoughts on the way to the classroom, but she was hardly the 10 to end all 10s like she was being made out to be.

When he took a real close look at her, there was something else, it was subtle but there was definitely something off about her.

 _… Oh NUTS_.

She was a devil too. Not only that, she was probably sent by the two girls in the woods, Rias and what's-her-face that fixed his ribbon. The energy felt the same, not exactly, but related. It was uncanny, and the second he realized it, she picked him out. Her yellow eyes locked in a stoic glare as she strode across the room, and dropped herself in the desk next to him. Didn't need to sense his energy to pick him out of the crowd, that is, the only person not drooling over her. Which was exactly what the masses were doing the second they at down. Losing their collective shit at the prospect of her being in the same class as them. Ben was losing his shit too, except on the exact opposite side of the spectrum.

She knows too?! Fuck me, man, he huffed exasperatedly as he could pick her glancing at him through the crowd that surrounded her, Shit has officially hit the fan, he flicked a glare her way, accidentally locking eyes for that split second. The Nephilim locked his gaze with hers, not wanting to be the one to turn away first. Wanting to gain some ground wherever he could, however insignificant it was. She looked away with the same amount of interest as she had when she looked over. Ben gritted his teeth and sent his gaze towards the front of the classroom. Hoping against hope that any second the bell would ring and he would be saved from this (almost literal) hell.

When they realized that Koneko was remiss to give them much of any attention, the students returned to milling about. They never really taking their attention away from the white haired girl.

He needed to test the water, maybe try to insinuate himself a little bit, explain why it was he might have been looking at her like that. Why he looked like a deer in headlights as soon as she flared his aura. Whether or not wit was the answer, it was what came to mind first, "Koneko huh?" he said tapping his fingers across the surface of his desk while the other hung off of the side, "Fitting, what with the hairpiece and all."

She was quiet for a moment, paying him what had to be slightly more than an iota of attention than she had been to the others, "That's all you got? Really?" she deadpanned. It also seemed like expressing and inflection was lost on the girl, would make it all the harder to gauge her reactions.

"Just trying to be friendly… Realize I was kinda staring at you earlier. Didn't want you to think I was… I dunno," he tried to lie. This time it sounded a little more convincing, but due to her lack of a reaction, he had to wait for her to respond to make any guesses.

"Happens all the time," an obvious tone to her voice, "Though if that's your best attempt to stay out of sight… It's pretty pathetic. If you can't even fool me, then you won't be able to fool President and Akeno," she said, turning her head to look at him directly. Her gaze cutting through him just like it had before.

Ben coughed, covering his mouth with his fist as he tried to buy precious seconds for thought, "Can't say I know what you mean. Though I gotta say, it's a wonder that you're admired as much as you are if you throw out those kind of insults casually."

"I'm not the one hiding behind terrible lies and sub-par wit."

"... That cuts deep, Kitty Cat."

She frowned at the nickname, "They said you had a weird aura," she said as she appraised him with an almost animalistic precision, like a predator sizing up her prey, "You could be better at hiding it."

He chuckled nervously, _the hell is this chick?_ "Oh, I know what's going on, you're in that Occult whatever Club that those two Senpais are in. Aura and stuff is par for the course, yeah?"

She turned her head to look back towards the board, "You're better off coming clean," she said simply, her uncaring tone taking a darker shade, "If you don't hurry, then you'll probably be labeled a stray and killed."

Oh.

Fuck.

The girl stopped talking after that, letting Ben steam in what she assumed was his excited thoughts. He was, but not for the right reasons.

Stray. He had heard that name before, what they called devils that weren't beholden to any master. The ones that have typically lost whatever sanity they had and gone ballistic. They were usually handled by demonic strike teams.

And there was a chance that Ben was going to be labeled as one of them. Not only that, but also by what he could tell to no little degree was one of the more badass strike teams. He wasn't exactly sure if the group that the devils he had spoken to were going to be a part of it, but if they were, he was screwed.

Ben was no slouch, and he wasn't weak by any stretch of the imagination. With the combination of holy and unholy power he had at his disposal, he wasn't a pushover. He had practiced performing the signature attacks of both races; that being the standard light spear of the angels and fallen, and the magic bolts that devils made use of. Those coupled with his superhuman strength, speed, and durability, not to mention his ability to adapt, meant that he could hold his own if he had to.

A fight with multiple experienced opponents at much higher skill levels, however, was a fight he would lose in no time flat. He had fought before, but never more than one or two people at once. And considering he already knew of three people who might be coming after him, it wasn't that hard of a stretch to imagine there might be a couple more. One thing was for sure: he wasn't looking forward to the end of the day.

AN

 **Well there you have it, the first foray of yours truly into the online world of fiction. Updates will come out as they're ready, and the quality is sure to improve as time goes on; and that goes double if I can get a couple of betas. Like I said before, if you wanna help me out, then drop a PM and I'll consider you for a beta position. Until then though, really hit me hard in the reviews, I'm curious to see what you guy says thought so far.**

 **'till next time**

 **-Stax**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN**

 **Alright, so because I've been on a bit of a writing bender lately, here's the second chapter hot and fresh off the presses! This one comes in at a few hundred words shorter than the last one, but I didn't want to try and extend it beyond this point, it would start becoming redundant and boring, which considering that this is the exposition part of the story, that would be saying something. I'm trying to keep things interesting, but I understand if these first few are a little bit of a slog.**

 **The next chapter will also just kinda be out at some random interval. I haven't really set a time frame thus far, just kind of winging it. Whenever I get to about 4500 to 5000 words is when I consider it just about done. I'll try to keep (at the very least) a weekly update schedule, because if things go according to plan, I'll be on this one for a while.**

 **Also, I just wanted to take a chance to say thank you so much to everybody who's dropped a review my way. I take all criticism as constructive, and will continue to do so! Always feel free to drop what you really think there, I'm always checking for new ones, seriously, it's like being a little kid the night before Christmas with them. As such, Imma start doing some responses down at the end of the chapter. Feel free to send questions in a PM if you wanna know something as well. I take all comers.**

 **ON WITH THE STORY**

Chapter 2:

Tense and jittery, Ben couldn't help but look over his shoulder as he hurried out of the classroom at the end of the day. He had barely been able to escape his tail in the form of Koneko, who was swarmed by the masses the second the bell rung. He was out of the doorway in under a couple seconds, using a bit of his supernatural abilities to aid his escape.

She had been keeping an eye on him all day, he couldn't even eat his lunch in peace as he felt the steely gaze of the small girl on him from across the room. He felt like a dying animal in the sun, vultures flying around him as they waited to descend.

Despite being watched over all day, he did manage to come up with a plan between the introductions and greetings that were exchanged between the teachers and the class throughout the day. He was glad the first day was less intensive than the rest, the last thing he needed was one of the teachers breathing down his neck. Emissaries of hell and an angered educator at the same time did not sound like fun.

If their subtlety as anything to go off of(if you could even call it that), they treasured the fact that they blended in. Despite the way that they stood out, Ben had to commend them for their ability to hide in plain sight, especially in full view of everyone. He liked the mysterious and smug asshole angle better, but their method worked wonders for what they were going for. At least it would in every other situation.

As much as he hated playing this kind of cat and mouse game, the easiest way to make sure they couldn't corner him was to make sure that he was constantly surrounded by people, at least until he was able to get back to his room at the Udon shop. At that point, he would have to rely on pure dumb luck.

He would then repeat this process every day until he graduated.

It wasn't a perfect plan, it had it's fair share of flaws, perhaps more than it should have. The fact that he was relying on a coin flip for a third of it being the stand out. The plan covered what he knew, which was decidedly very little in the grand scheme of things.

 _What do I know?_ The Nephilim thought as he mushed himself in with the crowd leaving the school, sticking as close as socially possible to the other students.

He knew that they were all affiliated with the "Occult Research Club", which from what he could gather was an ironic front for their activity in the city. Okay, maybe he didn't know for certain, but based off of the little bit that he got out of Koneko amongst the threats and backhanded comments, that was the case.

He also knew that there were more than 3 of them. This was more of a hunch than anything else, but the way they all carried themselves screamed that their numbers were greater than his by a good amount. He ballparked it around maybe 6 people that could come after him at any given time. Specifics in this category would be the most appreciated, but walking up to them and asking "How many devils are gonna come end me?" didn't exactly seem like the best idea.

And finally, he knew that these people were no pushovers, they were packing power by the pound, at least as far as his strength was concerned. Taking them on all at once would be a slaughter, with him being the meat. One at a time he stood a better chance: Koneko being the one he could say that he would reliably beat. Akeno and Rias were in a whole other league. On his best day, he might stand a chance against them if he singled one of them out; but if today was anything to go off of, he wasn't having a very good day.

All of these (and he used the term loosely) facts only solidified the cornucopia of shit he found himself in the midst of. It also furthered to prove that his plan was utter garbage, and ditching it the second he had a better idea was priority numero dos, right after having the idea in the first place.

His thoughts brewing like a bubbling cauldron in his head, Ben didn't notice the other demonic presence that descended upon him from behind, a hand clamped down on his shoulder, the half breed spun around in a flash, knocking the hand away.

"Whoa there!" the male student exclaimed in surprise. He was only slightly shorter than he was, Ben only had to look downwards slightly in order to meet his eyes. His blonde hair was spiked and parted in the middle, the bangs making their way across his forehead in uneven ends. He blinked a pair of green eyes at the taller boy, "Scared the crap outta' me man!"

He could smell the demonic power on him, significantly weaker than the others he had met thus far, but there was something else mixed in with it, it felt strong, despite appearances of his aura, "What do you want, I have somewhere I gotta be," Ben said as he glanced back and forth quickly, scanning the crowd for any other demonic powers before returning his gaze to the boy, "Spit it out."

"She really wasn't kidding about that edge to you, huh?" he said, rubbing the back of his head and pushing out a sigh as he closed his eyes, "Look, I'm just the messenger. The Student Council wants to speak to you, something about adjusting to the different culture or something."

Ben raised an eyebrow to the other teen, skeptically looking him dead in the face. He honestly wasn't sure what to think. For all he knew, this was a ploy by the rest of the Occult Research Club to segregate him from the common rabble. The boy was a devil, like the others, and while his aura didn't have that same tinge to it that Koneko's had had, taking this kind of chance had the potential to put him six feet under.

Then again, if this really was just a helping hand extended from the Student Council, biting it certainly wouldn't do him any favors with them. Being labeled a delinquent wouldn't help his ability to blend in, and sticking close to people would become a lot harder if he became the kind of person that most folks would cross the street to stay away from. That was a worst case scenario, sure, but it didn't hurt to be cautious.

Still, hardship in the future was preferable to having no future, Ben decided. He'd rather have issues being normal than be lured into a trap, "Thanks but no thanks," he said to the boy, waving a hand as he went to turn around, "Like I said: I got places to be, I promised my Grandma I'd pick up a shift in the shop. Tell 'em that I'm doing fine, nothing to worry about."

That's when he felt a tight grip on his arm, one that was definitely not the strength of a normal human. Ben flinched as he turned back around, his arm feeling ever so slightly number by the second, and the grip becoming stronger, "Sona is gonna kill me- look tall, dark, and broody: the council is trying to help you here. We're not with Gremory and her 'group' if you catch my drift."

So the council was also a group of devils, and he expected Ben to believe that they weren't in cahoots with each other despite their proximity. It was literally the same building they inhabited on a regular basis, "Even if I knew what you were talking about," Ben pursed his lips, speaking incredulously, "Do you really expect me to believe that? What is this, the 'fuck with Ben' hour?"

"If I were on their side, why would I all but admit that-thing-that-I-basically-just-admitted?" he asked, raising an eyebrow

Ben squinted his eyes, "To lure me into a trap?" he stated as if the answer was as simple as it sounded, "Seems pretty self-explanatory to me."

"Are you really that paranoid? Scratch that- are you really so full of yourself to think you're the first priority here? We got bigger fish to fry than a stray devil trying to play house."

"I'M NOT A-" Ben yelled, drawing the passive attention of the stragglers as they passed them by as well. The half-breed cleared his throat, and slapped the boy's arm off with his own burst of superhuman strength, "I'm not a God damn stray."

The boy looked at him expectantly, "I'm not the one you need to be telling that to, man," he turned to walk back into the building, taking a few steps forward before looking over his shoulder with a confident smirk, "So you coming or what?"

Ben blew a breath out, the air fluffing the bangs that hung down on his forehead, "Shoulda said a prayer this morning," he said before begrudgingly following after the messenger, walking up next to him, "Ben Silas, by the way, Blondie. But I'm guessing that you knew that already, huh?"

"Try _Genshirou Saji_ , dude. Rolls off the tongue better," he shot back at Ben.

 **AT THE SAME TIME...**

Awake, it knew that much.

Consciousness was an odd sensation, or at least that was what it was perceiving this sensation to be. It had suddenly become aware of the world around it, a world that it had always somehow _knew_ existed. Though only now it felt the sweet tickling of thought poke at it's mind, it somehow got the sensation that it had always been capable of these actions, but they had been prevented until this very second.

It's awareness spread like a plague, suddenly realizing that there was more than just its head that it was capable of moving. It's fingers wiggled on command, but when it tried to move its arm, it seemed to be incapable of doing so. There was a feeling binding it's wrist to the thing behind it. They were both cold, but the object around it' wrists made it angry. Why couldn't it move? Why wouldn't it move despite how much it struggled?

Anger. That was an emotion. Not only did it now seem to be able to process the world around it, it was capable of emotion as well. It felt a warmth-like feeling wash over it, the one it believed was called joy, or excitement. In this excitement, it moved its legs as it shook with glee, only to find the same type of object binding it's legs to the surface.

It became angry again. It struggled against the bindings, shaking violently and erratically. It could hear the muffled sounds of shifting from the bindings as it did so, but nothing more happened. It continued to struggle for a time, then it stopped as a coldness ran down it's spine.

It felt alone, as if despite is ability to perceive and move, it was completely and utterly alone. Sadness, it believed it was called. And even though the experience of a new emotion was uplifting somewhat, it did nothing to change the tide.

"-ause it's unethical! Not to mention a ticking time bomb!" it heard a voice scream out. It sounded angry, like it was upset with something. It wanted to speak out the second it heard a voice, but it felt a chill at the voice's depth and intensity. It's actions froze before they could even begin.

"Unethical? Unethical?! That's rich coming from you!" another voice replied. It recognized that the voice was decidedly younger, but sounded just as angry as the other. An argument, it believed it was called, "I'm not the one playing with forces beyond my comprehension!"

The deeper voice scoffed, "That's exactly what you're doing," it said, calming down, but still in a huff, "Creating Sacred Gears is one thing, but playing God is a whole other matter."

"News flash, Azazel, God is dead! What's he gonna do to me from beyond the grave, smite me?" the young voice laughed incredulously, "And don't act all innocent, it's your notes that told me how to do it.''

" _Incomplete notes_ ," the deep voice, Azazel, it noted, corrected. It sounded like a male name to it, so it decided that's what it was, "And incomplete for a reason. Bestowing sentience upon that which did not have it before is playing with fire. Especially in the way you're doing it. I mean, creating clones? Clones of high ranking devils, no less! Are you really trying to start an all out war between us and them? Because if they ever found out about any of this, it would not be brushed off as nothing. We've managed to stay out of each other's way for the time being, but things are reaching a boiling point," Azazel sounded much more sober as he reflected on some unknown situation, "We have to _think_ about our actions, and how they reflect on the rest of us as a result, son-"

" _Don't_ ," the young voice spat out, the tone dripping with venom, "Don't call me that. You're not my father, don't try to act like it."

The deep voice was quiet for a moment, and then spoke with a lethal intensity laced behind a lighter tone, "Pulling the authority card isn't exactly my favorite pastime, but try to remember who you're talking to, Icarus. I didn't become leader because of my charming good looks."

The younger voice was silent, but not without protest. It seemed to be named Icarus, again a male name, or at least that was how it perceived it. It began to think passively as it listened, what was _its_ name? Did it even have one? It wondered if it was acceptable to give itself a name, but decided to think on it later.

"... I'll be honest, kid- I'm just as curious about them as you are. There's a reason I was looking into it all those years back… but there's also a reason I stopped," Azazel sighed, "Things got muddy quick, and by that I mean _really_ quick. Those things, the homunculi, they learn very fast, faster than anything I could have predicted would lead me to believe. That learning led to-"

"Increased cognitive processes, which eventually leads to them becoming self aware," Icarus finished, "But I've taken steps to prevent that!" he added enthusiastically.

"That's not the point."

"No just… just listen," it heard a shuffling of papers, things being rapidly and hurriedly moved from one place to another. It surmised that meant that Icarus was looking for something, most likely to help him explain his point, "These ones are different, they're completely obedient to the nth degree. Say… say for example I told them to jump- they're on the moon before I even tell them how high," Icarus strained, thinking about his words, "They don't actually think for themselves, they are just husks waiting to be filled with orders. A more layman way to put it would be that they're lobotomized."

"You're still missing my point entirely, you can't just make copies of whoever you want, it doesn't work like that!" Azazel exclaimed, trying to restrain himself, but boiling over, "What were you even planning on doing with these? Were you going to stage a coup?"

"What?!" Icarus denied incredulously, "By all the gods there are no! I haven't been able to perfect them yet, that would be suicidal!"

"The very idea of replacing them at all is suicidal! Your 'ambition' is going to get us all killed!"

Icarus hissed at the statement, apparently it was a sore subject.

"I had thought giving you some freedom would help reign you in a bit, buff out the edges, but it looks like that wasn't the right way to go," Azazel sighed, "Sorry, kid, but as of this moment you're decommissioned until further notice."

Icarus began sputtering, trying to buy time to find some kind of combination of words that would get him out of this situation, "What?! NO! YOU CAN'T!"

Azazel sighed, "We'll find your niche, Icarus, I promise. But until then, I gotta make sure you don't endanger us like this again. The guards will be here in a minute," he was a leader of some kind, this much it could also gather from what was being said, "I'm getting soft in my old age… Say your goodbyes," Azazel seemed to be conflicted about this decision, as if he would come to regret it later. Azazel then seemed to leave the presence of the room, or at least that of Icarus. It could not sense his presence in the room anymore.

Light slowly began to impact it's eyes, blinding it as the first light it could ever process assaulted it brutally. It shut its eyes to shield its eyes.

"It's a good thing he didn't find you," Icarus said, his voice now much clearer as if he was right in front of it, "I won't let them take you, not when I'm so close to a breakthrough. You will be the impetus for a whole generation of your brethren," he breathed heavy as a thud hit something right in front of it. It opened its eyes slightly as it glanced forwards. Icarus had placed both his hands on the thing in front of it, it remarkable looked like glass, "The perfect bride for the prodigal son of the greatest inventor who ever lived. Fitting that I made you exactly to my specifications, even if your looks are borrowed… though that shouldn't be a problem- at least for the moment."

It was so confused, there was a flux of emotions existing inside it, emotions that one at a time would make sense, but all muddled together like they were, it didn't understand what was happening. All it knew was that it felt scared. Scared of Icarus, scared of the world around it, and to a steadily growing degree…

Scared of itself.

"Problems to worry about later," Icarus decided. Though it was unclear as to exactly what it was, Icarus pulled something from what looked like a pocket on the black silhouette that it had just learned was its creator, "Azazel isn't the only one who can make sacred gears," he said as he held out a small ball of light tinged what it believed was called the color "blue". The ball of light floated towards it, and fused slowly into it's chest. It felt no pain as it did this, but it did none to alleviate its confusion.

"When the time is right, I will find you, my sweet. _I swear it_ ," He declared with ferocious intensity.

The blue light grew brighter and brighter, this time it emanated directly from it, as if the small light was now using it as a magnifier. It tried to breath, tried to speak, but found its words trapped in it's throat, not a sound rang out as the light eventually became too much to keep its eyes open.

And in an instant, everything that it had been processing turned to nothing once more, the bright light, Icarus, the restraints on it's arms and legs. All in a flash, they were gone. It felt it's knees scrape against something hard and dirty, its hands were experiencing the same sensation. It looked around, confused even further. A gentle wind blew across it, a wind that made it feel that same sensation that the restraints had. The sensation of cold. It shivered, huddling itself up into a ball to try and maintain warmth.

As its eyes adjusted, it could vaguely make out the color blue once more. It tilted its head upwards, and gazed at the long stretch of black and blue that weaved in the air above it. It felt… peaceful to look at as little white dots twinkled above in the sky.

The sky. Yes, that was what it was called. And the white dots, those were called stars. It could see them, yet they were so far away, so far that they looked small from here. It found it poetic that despite how far away they were, their light still reached where it was.

These conclusions came to it as it felt fatigued, it leaned backwards, finding a wall behind it that was as cold as what it was sitting on. It wasn't comfortable, but with the view it had from here, it had not a care in the world.

The sky was so pretty from where it sat.

Ben pushed the door open to the small apartment, the scent of mildew and dirty socks filling his nose. He grimaced as he set his schoolbag down right next to the door, closing it behind him as he walked over to his bed, not even bothering to shed his uniform before falling back onto it.

Ben pulled his arms up under his head, cupping his hands behind him as his elbows pointed towards the ceiling. His face curled into a pensive scowl as he stared directly upwards, not even really using his eyes as he sunk back into his thoughts.

It had turned out to be what he had expected, the student council was a group of devils, much like Rias Gremory seemed to have. The pack analogy he likened their groups to was seeming more and more accurate since his little meeting with this other group. Apparently, their agendas were completely different, and Ben had to agree, he probably liked Souna Shitori better than he ever did Gremory.

Granted that this was all within a one-day time frame, but still. At least the second group had bothered to show some courtesy to his secrets; rather than threatening him with death because he wouldn't open up.

That was what the gist of the meeting was, that whatever kind of supernatural being he was, as long as he wasn't causing or getting into trouble, he was going to fall through the proverbial cracks. Up to this point, Ben hadn't done anything of note, besides interacting with the other devil sect. Typically, to be classified as a stray, one would both have to have had a master at one point or originate from hell. Neither of which he had or was. While the hybrid had powers that were derived from both sides of the line, he had never actually been to either side. Something that you could apparently tell by looking at him.

While Ben was glad that he wouldn't have to worry about being hunted down like a dog just walking home from school, the feeling of paranoia still persisted somewhat. Sure, he had gotten the word of Shitori that the problem would be taken care of, but to what extent could he trust that she would keep her word.

These people were devils, the kind that comes from the place where the worst of everyone goes to burn for all of eternity. Being nice and being from hell didn't go well together, at least to his understanding. And while he hoped that her word was her bond, the half-breed had no real reason to take her at face value. A shame that he had to distrust a pretty face like hers, most chicks would kill to look like her.

Which was yet another thing that led him to distrust these devils. They looked too good, too perfect in many aspects, to be perceived as real people. Gremory's group more so than Shitori's, but with how much star power each of them were packing, they put the best models in the world to shame. He couldn't trust faces like theirs, faces that for all he knew were completely fake: faces made for the sole purpose of buying loyalty like it was going out of style. Guys and girls alike would bow to a pretty face, but a gorgeous one? They would follow to the ends of the earth. They were damn fine to look at, but once you got closer, it was like playing with fire. Hellfire, in fact.

The words of the student council president echoed in his mind, playing back to him like she was in the room saying it… he actually looked to make sure she wasn't.

 _"As long as you don't get directly involved, then you have nothing to fear from those of us here at Kuoh,"_ she had said, but to what extent was that true? Ben really had no way of knowing. It was starting to make his head hurt, the more he thought about it.

 _As long as I don't get directly involved, I'm golden,_ he thought, _Just gotta stay out of trouble, be as normal as possible…_ he stopped, pushing out a breath as he realized the futility of trying to do so.

 _Wonder how long it'll take me to mess this up._

 **AN**

 **Well our boy Ben certainly doesn't seem too confident in his ability to keep things quiet, now does he? We'll see how well things work out for him next time, but if I had to place bets, I'd say that they'll get interesting pretty soon.**

 **Guest: Thanks man! First ever review, glad to see that you're enjoying it so far.**

 **Drew: Don't worry, everybody's favorite pervert will be in here as well. I wanted to try and establish a few things here and there first before bringing him on. As far as the power levels thing goes... I haven't officially decided where I want Ben to end up in the rankings. He's not going to be taking on the leaders of any of the clans themselves, but as far as the young devils go, I'll probably have to map out a tier list of some kind. Right now Ben's just kind a weak because fighting has never really been on his radar, but that might not always be the case...**

 **Zarroc789: Thanks dude!**

 **Grimraven.V: Thanks and wouldn't that be interesting? I did like their little back and forth, the stoic retorts to the snarky comebacks. That certainly wasn't the last time those two have interacted, I assure you. But as far as romantic pairings go, we're still a ways away from that. Ben isn't exactly on the best of terms with the devils at Kuoh yet, and he certainly does know how to get himself into hot water with little issue.**

 **That's it from me this time, guys and gals! Like I said earlier, these'll come out as they're done, so just keep an eye out!**

 **Or just drop a favorite or follow my way... that might work too...**

 **'till next time**

 **-Stax**


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